Tracking the use of tracer chemicals with the help of a pH meter and selective electrode, to determine the total mass and distribution of the subsurface oil pools
When underground water is contaminated by oil, environmental agencies need to find the source and extent of the pollution. Traditionally this has been difficult to establish - but researchers at the University of Waterloo (Canada), with the help of Windmill software, are working on an answer.
The scientists inject a solution of bromide and other tracer chemicals into the water.
When these tracers hit the contamination, some are delayed more than others.
Downstream, the team continuously pumps up the water and monitors the tracers.
The differences in breakthough times of each tracer allows an estimate of the total mass and distribution of the subsurface oil pools to be made.
To accurately measure the breakthrough of bromide they use Windmill Software with an Orion pH meter equipped with a bromide selective electrode.
Niels Hartog, one of the scientists involved in the project, commented: "With Windmill reading the serial output of the meter, I was easily able to continously log bromide concentrations in the extraction wells".
The software stores the data in a text file which can later be imported into almost any Windows analysis software, such as Excel.
Windmill is a suite of data acquisition and control software running under Windows. The handheld Orion meter, for performing pH and concentration measurements, is just one of the many devices which can be handled by Windmill.
